PSU and cables that came with case

[Vavs15]

I have the Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard and the XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

Problem one

The manual states I should have PLED+ and PLED- connected side by side, and I have done this. It then states I should have PW+ and PW- next to them. I do not have PW+ or PW- just a power switch one. What do I do?

Problem 2

The front case fans wire that came with the case doesn't seem to reach a fan slot on the motherboard and It's a white pin connector type wire, and it doesn't look like the CPU_fan wire that I had to connect, even though all the "system fan" headers, look like they only accept this type of wire.


Help ?

 

[Vavs15]

After searching around, i'm lead to believe that the cables I have that don't come with a polarized pair (pos and neg) Don't have to be arranged as such. Does this mean that they are not effected by polarization. I have been told that I don't have a pos and neg power cable, and just a simple PWR one, because the polarization doesn't matter, whereas the PLED has pos wire and a neg wire, as this is something to do with the LED's actually working. Can someone please confirm this, and perhaps educate me further, whilst answering my other concerns? Thank you.

 

[pauls3743]

The LED is polarized, this does need the + and - to be correct.

The power switch does go into the PW header, it is not polarized.

The front fan should have a 3-pin connector (the cpu fan has a 4-pin connector) and should at least reach a fan header at the front of your motherboard. Suggest you look for the SYSFAN_2 or 3 at the front bottom of the motherboard.

 

[Vavs15]

"The LED is polarized, this does need the + and - to be correct.

The power switch does go into the PW header, it is not polarized."

Okay, on the manual it says - and + even though it's not polarized, can I just put it on either pin?

 

[pauls3743]

All the power switch is doing is passing current from one pin to the other when you press it, it doesn't matter which way round it's connected.

 

[Vavs15]

If it mattered the pins would be split up into a pos and a negative, correct??

 

[pauls3743]

If it mattered the power switch plugs would be marked + and -

Personally, I install the power and HDD LEDs first and then install power and reset switches facing the same way for neatness (there's normally writing on one side of the plugs).

 

[Vavs15]

It doesn't matter which way the writing is facing, does it? (I have done the same thing)

Also the front fan has 4 pins like the cpu fan does


The two fans I bought for initial case cooling are 3 pins and look correct. The system fan headers however are 4 pins. Do I just connect 3 pins in and leave one without anything plugged into it?

 

[pauls3743]

For the power and reset switch, no. The only plugs which matter which way round they are inserted are the power and HDD LEDs.

As to your fans - the only fan which absolutely needs a 4-pin fan plugged into to work properly is the cpu_fan header. If you plugged a 3-pin fan into the cpu_fan header the fan would spin at full speed as the 4th pin is the speed control. The sys_fan headers are more flexible and will work with both 3-pin and 4-pin fans to control their speed. So, yes, your fine to plug in a 4-pin fan to a sys_fan 4-pin header and also plug 3-pin into a sys_fan 4-pin fan header leaving the 4th pin exposed. All that will happen is the 4-pin fan will be better controlled through a larger range of speeds.

 

[Vavs15]

You're great! Thank you.


Just out of curiosity what would happen if the HDD LEDs weren't plugged in at all. Would it just not power up, or just no LED's ?

 

[pauls3743]

The same as if you connected them the wrong way round, they wouldn't light up. It makes no difference to the motherboard how, or even if, you connect the LEDs to it. The LEDs draw so little power the motherboard wouldn't really know if they are there or not, and the motherboard doesn't deliver enough voltage to blow the LEDs if you connect them the wrong way round.

The LEDs are there purely for your benefit, to let you know the system is power up (power LED) and it's working by means of accessing the drives (HDD LED).

 

[Vavs15]

Thanks 😀. One thing that has worried me about building my own computer is that i've read stories about people frying their motherboard. How easy is it for them to do that?

 

[pauls3743]

I haven't fried any motherboards but I had fried memory sticks and processors before. It's not caused by getting any wiring wrong as 1). that's pretty hard to do and 2). the power supply won't start if it detects a short circuit anywhere. It's actually caused by a build up of static electricity on your body and/or clothing. Have you ever pulled your t-shirt or jumper off at night and felt your hair being attracted to it as it comes off? That's static. Ideally you would wear an anti-static band while building your pc (a wrist band with a coiled cable to directly connect you to ground/earth), you normally get away with touching the bare metal of a case before handling electronic components. Assuming you're on a pc just now I'd touch any bare metal on the case of that before starting your build. Failing that, plug your new power supply in to the wall and use that as your grounding point.

 

[Vavs15]

Thanks for that . I was a little worried that when I turn it on i'll get some smoke or a bang or something like that . Thanks for putting my mind at rest.